And their ride was a blue Proton Saga car, the first of its kind with a registration number Proton 1, which was a gift from Dr Mahathir to Sultan Ibrahim’s late father, Sultan Iskandar, in 1985.

When asked about his 22-km trip from the Istana Bukit Serene to the airport in that ‘old’ car, Dr Mahathir said: I think it is a good endorsement of a Proton car. Thirty-four years and still functioning.

Very good. This 34-year old car that was given by me to his father in Kuala Lumpura manual (transmission)…the clock still works properly…no breakdown.

It has done 22,000 km. At that time, the price tag was only 17,000 (ringgit). That’s why I was able to afford to give a free gift to the Agong, said Dr Mahathir.

Sultan Iskandar was the Yang di-Pertuan Agong back then.

It was Dr Mahathir’s first audience with Sultan Ibrahim after being reappointed as Prime Minister after the 14th General Election.